


soulmates

by thewolfsdoctor



Series: ichihime week 2019 [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-18 22:26:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20320513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewolfsdoctor/pseuds/thewolfsdoctor
Summary: Takes place in context of the pilot chapter, some time in the future. Ichigo becomes a soul reaper and meets a familiar face.





	soulmates

_ you- you know… _

Captain Kuchiki assigns him to the same damn town for the fifth time in a row. It’s in the middle of nowhere, with a fairly small population and a disproportionate amount of hollows, and he knows it’s just to punish him for getting on her nerves. Apparently what he defines as an observation is an insult to the captain. Or she just finds him annoying.

But he can’t talk back at her, because of her rank and the fact that she wouldn’t hesitate to kick his ass, so he patrols the same streets. Checks the same haunts and finds weak hollows to slay. The only part he finds solace in is the people he can help along the way.

Nothing strange, nor out of the ordinary.

“Excuse me, Mr. Angry Face. Are you looking for something?”

_ i want to ask you a favor. _

Ichigo startles, whips around quickly to find a girl standing behind him. Her head tilts curiously, blazing hair falling over her shoulders.

She looks familiar.

“What?”

“I said, ‘are you-’”

“I heard you. But how are you seeing me right now?” Confusion etches itself further into her face, Ichigo mimicking her unconsciously. He wasn’t supposed to be seen, none of the Shinigami were. Not by normal humans, at least. “Have you seen anything weird around?”

“Weird?” the girl taps on her chin, and shakes her head. “Just you. You’ve got a weird outfit on, and weird hair.”

_ i’ll… i’ll be born again as a human, so… _

She smiles sweetly, genuinely. He doesn’t even register that she calls him weird because she’s talking to him, a Shinigami. A dead guy.

A million thoughts run through Ichigo’s mind at once, all of them questions that he doesn’t know the answer to. How can she see him, and only him? He’s almost positive she hasn’t seen any hollows around because they’re big enough to be seen in a tiny town like this. There’s an ache in his chest, a pinch at the back of his head he can’t ignore.

Her spiritual energy is warm, almost comforting. Something recognizable yet unnameable.

He wants to know who she is.

A cellphone rings and both of them reach into their pockets to check. There’s a hollow a couple streets down, and at the same time she exclaims that she’s late for Laugh Hour.

He wants to ask her something. Anything. So he says the first thing on his mind. “Have we met before?”

Somehow her smile brightens, and the world spins a little faster.

“I don’t know,” she hums, then looks up to the sky as if it has anything to say about their meeting. The alert on his communicator won’t stop beeping, but Ichigo doesn’t want to leave without some kind of farewell.

“Um, I gotta go. But I-” He’s not sure what overcame him, why he’s so unsure all of a sudden. They’re both half turned in opposite directions to continue with the last moments of the day, both not yet ready to leave.

Before he can gather his thoughts, she beats him to the punch.

_ “If we meet again, let’s talk more, okay?” _

His eyes follow her as she walks away, turning the corner and finally leaving his sight. Only then is he able to think straight.

And dammit, he forgot to ask for her name.


End file.
